Feature Story

Home sweet Dome no more, Minnesota is ready for Target Field

The 2009 season was all about saying farewell to the obsolete Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome for the Minnesota Twins, and what a goodbye it was. The Twins chased division rival Detroit until the final day of the season and eventually beat them for the division title in game 163. The Metrodome left us the way it will always be remembered: unbearably loud and full of miraculous moments. Even though the Dome may not have been the most ideal place for baseball it will be missed. Sort of.

“The Dome just had horrible seating,” said avid Twins fan Matt Decovich, “most of the time you would have to twist your whole body just to see home plate, and the seats were not the most comfortable.” Ryan Nysteun, another Twins fan who endured the imperfections of the Dome added, “there was just no leg room and the concourse was always packed.” The Dome was a nightmare for anyone with the slightest case of claustrophobia.

The playing field was also trapped inside the small space. One experience I will never forget about the Metrodome is when an opposing player hit a pop fly into foul territory. The ball drifted toward the stands and was obviously going be a souvenir for some lucky fan. That is until it caromed of a large speaker, and the Twins closer, at the time, everyday Eddie Guardado, sprinted towards the first baseline, slid and caught the ball. The batter looked back at the umpire, who was signaling the ball was caught, like he just witnessed mob of pigs taking flight. Fly balls should not hit a ceiling. When the inventors of baseball wrote its rules they never added a section about indoor baseball.The game just belongs outdoors, under the sun, and in the fresh air of a cool summer breeze.

Despite the Dome's many flaws, it will remain in the memories of baseball and Twins fans alike. When both Decovich and Nysteun were asked what they would miss the most about the Metrodome they both answered “The Dome Dog.” Quite a legacy the Dome is leaving, huh?

Enough poking fun at the Dome. Now it is time for Minnesota baseball fans to move on. The anticipation of Target Field has been mounting ever since the groundbreaking ceremony in August of 2007. “Just the fact that the new stadium is outdoors is exciting,” said Decovich. Twins fans have not been able to watch a game under the summer sun, or in a mid April snow storm, since the 1981 season.

We survived the unpredictable Minnesota weather at Metropolitan Stadium so we should be able to handle it now, right? “A nice spring day would be the ideal conditions to go to a game, but I would be willing to attend a game in poor weather,” said Decovich.

But one striking question facing the Twins and their decision to build an outdoor park, without a retractable roof, is how many games will need to be postponed? This could be a problem and really mess with the Twins schedule, but also could keep fans from attending games. “I would be so excited to go to the game that I wouldn’t worry about it being cancelled, I don’t know if too many baseball fans would,” said Decovich, “but then again it isn’t to far of a drive from Apple Valley to Minneapolis.” Many of the Twins loyal fans live outside of the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and its suburbs. So will the Twins fan from St. Cloud or Rochester be willing to head to Target Field on a rainy day, and take the chance of the game being cancelled? Chances are the excitement surrounding the new field will be too strong to ignore and they will make the trip.

Already Target Field has been on the minds of Twins fans even through the sub-zero months of the Minnesota winter. All season ticket holders at the Metrodome had the opportunity to transfer their ticket over to Target Field. And as a testament to the Twins loyal fan base most of them did. But still some single game tickets were available. In fact just last week all single game tickets went on sale at the new Target Field. Unsurprisingly, the tickets were snatched up like leftovers at Thanksgiving dinner. “In the past I would attend about a couple games a year,” said Nysteun, “and I would really like to attend some outdoor games at Target Field. That is if I can get Tickets.”

Compared to ticket prices at the Dome, prices at Target Field have gone up by no surprise. Obviously, anyone with common sense saw this coming. The demand for tickets this year is at an all-time high and Target Field which seats 39,504 giddy Twins fans, while the Dome could hold 55,300 people. Tickets may be as scarce as an error by the Twins solid defense. “I know tickets are going to be really hard to come by,” added Nysteun.

Target Field isn’t simply another Metrodome without a roof. It is going to be one of the premier sporting facilities in the country. It will be featuring some of the closest seats to the playing field in the league, a concourse offering a full view of the field at all times, and heated bathrooms, concessions and restaurants for those early season games and hopefully late October nail biters. And unlike the Dome, fans can sit in comfort during the game with wider seats offering more legroom. Not to mention every seat in the stadium faces home plate, so no more neck aches the morning after a game.

“I think the coolest part about Target Field will be the atmosphere. From the Minnesota limestone around the outside of the ballpark to the concession stands that will feature Minnesota foods. It doesn’t get much better than that,” said longtime Twins fan Joey Voss.

Not only will the fans be spoiled by the stellar features of Target Field, but also the players will be able to play on one of the nicest field in the game today. The field features heated coils under the playing surface to help keep the field unfrozen and keep the players comfortable. And surely the Twins players are looking forward to getting grass stains rather than rug burns.

Now that the Twins have hit the field in Fort Meyers for spring training the regular season is just around the corner. And 2010 should be a special one indeed. The Twins will play for the first time at Target Field in an exhibition game against the St. Louis Cardinals on April 2 and the home opener is scheduled for April 12 against the Boston Red Sox. Hopefully, when Target Field has aged and it is time for a new state of the art ballpark, it will be remembered by more than its hot dogs.